Investing.com - U.S. stock futures pointed to a higher open on Thursday, ahead of U.S. jobless data later in the say and as markets awaited the outcome of the European Central Bank's upcoming policy meeting.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.31% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.33% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.35% increase.
Global stocks found support earlier, after the Bank of Japan, under newly appointed Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, said it plans to double its asset purchase program over the next two years and extend the maturities of the bonds it purchases.
But investors remained wary ahead of comments from President Mario Draghi at the bank’s post-policy meeting press conference amid concerns over the deteriorating economic outlook for the currency bloc and worries over the possible implications of the bailout deal for Cyprus.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, after Samsung Electronics said it will staff mini-stores at Best Buy's U.S. locations to showcase how its tablets, smartphones and televisions work together.
Rival Apple saw shares climb 0.47% in pre-market trade.
Among software-linked companies, Google was reportedly preparing to challenge a demand by the U.S. government for private user information in a national security probe, sending shares down 0.04% in late trading.
Financial stocks were also likely to be in focus, following reports Matthew Taylor, a former Goldman Sachs trader, pleaded guilty to concealing an unauthorized USD8.3 billion trading position in 2007, causing the bank to lose USD118 million.
The news sent shares in the U.S. lender down 0.18% after hours.
Separately, Bank of America and Citigroup reportedly selected new managers to help run the firms’ rates-trading desks. Shares in Bank of America climbed 0.68% pre-market, while Citigroup jumped 0.94%.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to higher. The EURO STOXX 50 jumped 0.93%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.83%, Germany's DAX gained 0.41%, while Britain's FTSE 100 eased 0.03%.
During the Asian trading session, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 3.23%, while markets in Hong Kong and mainland China remained closed for a public holiday.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on initial jobless claims and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to speak.
Ahead of the open, the Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a 0.31% gain, S&P 500 futures signaled a 0.33% rise, while the Nasdaq 100 futures indicated a 0.35% increase.
Global stocks found support earlier, after the Bank of Japan, under newly appointed Governor Haruhiko Kuroda, said it plans to double its asset purchase program over the next two years and extend the maturities of the bonds it purchases.
But investors remained wary ahead of comments from President Mario Draghi at the bank’s post-policy meeting press conference amid concerns over the deteriorating economic outlook for the currency bloc and worries over the possible implications of the bailout deal for Cyprus.
Tech stocks were expected to be active, after Samsung Electronics said it will staff mini-stores at Best Buy's U.S. locations to showcase how its tablets, smartphones and televisions work together.
Rival Apple saw shares climb 0.47% in pre-market trade.
Among software-linked companies, Google was reportedly preparing to challenge a demand by the U.S. government for private user information in a national security probe, sending shares down 0.04% in late trading.
Financial stocks were also likely to be in focus, following reports Matthew Taylor, a former Goldman Sachs trader, pleaded guilty to concealing an unauthorized USD8.3 billion trading position in 2007, causing the bank to lose USD118 million.
The news sent shares in the U.S. lender down 0.18% after hours.
Separately, Bank of America and Citigroup reportedly selected new managers to help run the firms’ rates-trading desks. Shares in Bank of America climbed 0.68% pre-market, while Citigroup jumped 0.94%.
Across the Atlantic, European stock markets were mixed to higher. The EURO STOXX 50 jumped 0.93%, France’s CAC 40 advanced 0.83%, Germany's DAX gained 0.41%, while Britain's FTSE 100 eased 0.03%.
During the Asian trading session, Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index surged 3.23%, while markets in Hong Kong and mainland China remained closed for a public holiday.
Later in the day, the U.S. was to release government data on initial jobless claims and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was to speak.